Trench digging machine with dirt deflecting assembly



Oc 9 c. J. DAVIS 3,209,473

TRENCH DIGGING MACHINE WITH DIRT DEFLECTING ASSEMBLY Filed March 21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. CHARLES J. DAVIS ATTORNEY TRENCH DIGGING MACHINE WITH DIRT DEFLECTING ASSEMBLY Filed March 21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' 54 INVENTOR.

52 CHARLES J. DAVIS ATTORNE United States Patent 3,209,473 TRENCH DIGGING MACHINE WITH DIRT DEFLECTING ASSEMBLY Charles J. Davis, 22 Colonial, Wichita, Kans. Filed Mar. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 266,926 4 Claims. (Cl. 3786) The invention relates to a self-propelled excavating machine designed particularly for digging trenches and to convey the dirt therefrom and deposit the same on the ground beside the trench.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a trench digger of the character described including means for lifting dirt from the trench being dug and depositing it at one side only of the trench.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trench digger of the character described in which a power driven auger means coacts with a boom-carried endless digger means to dig a trench in which all of the dirt from the trench is disposed on the ground at one side of the trench to thereby leave the other side of the trench unobstructed. This facilitates the insertion of pipe, tile or the like into the trench from the unobstructed side thereof without causing excavated to fall back into the trench.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a trench digger of the character described power driven auger means which can be journalled in the upper portion of the boom of the endless digger means at one side or the other thereof in order selectively to convey excavated dirt to either side of the trench as desired.

Another object v f my invention is to provide in a trench digger machine of the character described, means in the form of a thrust shoe to resist the thrust of the auger means on the endless digger means, which shoe can be selectively and adjustably attached to either side of the digger boom.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a trench digger of the character described means in the form of a dirt deflector for directing dirt from the endless digger means to the auger means which deflector can be selectively and adjustably attached to the machine at either side thereof.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a trencher machine f the character described, a vertically swingable hydraulically actuated, digger boom including means interconnecting the digger boom and the dirt deflector whereby when the boom is elevated to a predetermined height, as, for example, when the boom is elevated to transport position, the dirt deflector will also be moved to a raised position clear of the ground, and will reassume its dirt deflecting position when the boom is lowered into trench digging position.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a trench digger and dirt conveyor attachment for a selfpropelled tractor.

Further objects and advantageous features of my invention will become readily apparent t persons skilled in the art when reference is had to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a power trencher embodying my invention, with the trench digging assembly in digging position in a partially completed trench, the endless digger chain and the auger means being shown in phantom to aid in clarity;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but shows the digger and dirt deflect-ing assemblies in raised or transport position;

FIG. 3 is a three quarter rear perspective view of the digger, auger, and dirt deflecting assemblies in raised position, only the aft end of the transporting and supporting tractor being shown;

3,209,473 Patented Oct. 5, 1965 FIG. 4 is a side elevation-a1 view of the aft port-ion of the digger tractor, and illustrates the manner in which the dirt deflecting assembly is mounted thereon; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the dirt deflecting assembly.

Referring now more particularly, .to the preferred embodiment of my invention as shown in the drawings in which like reference numerals are used throughout to designate like parts, reference numeral 1 designates generally a self-propelled tractor having a digger boom 2 pivotally mounted at one end thereof, which end, when the machine is digging a trench, becomes the rear end of the machine. The digger boom 2 has mounted thereon an endless digger chain 3. Suitable digger teeth of selected width are fixed in a conventional manner to the links of the endless chain 3. The chain 3 is trained over an idler sprocket 6 at the outer end of the boom 2 and over a drive sprocket 7 at the inner end of said boom 2. Intermediate sprockets 4, 5, 8 and 9 are mounted on upper and lower faces of the boom 2 between the idler sprocket 6 and the drive sprocket 7. These intermediate sprockets, 4, 5, 8 and 9 are in meshing engagement with the individual links of the top and bottom flights of the digger chain 3.

The pivotal mounting, generally designated 10, for the digger boom 2 includes laterally extending sleeves 11 and 12 (FIG. 3), which are rigidly secured to the inner end of the boom 2. The sleeves 11, 12 are journalled in bearings 13, 14 mounted in the spaced hollow side plates 15, 16, respectively, carried at the rear end of the self-propelled tractor 1. The drive sprocket 7 is secured to a drive shaft 17 which, in turn, is rotatably mounted in sleeves 11, 12. A sprocket 18 is non-rotatably aflixed to the extended end of the drive shaft 17. Suitable power means, including for example, a chain 19, drivingly connects the sprocket 18 to a conventional power take-01f (not shown) on the tractor 1.

In order to raise and lower the digger boom 2 there is provided a hydraulic cylinder 20 suitably mounted within the side plate 16 of the tractor 1. Hydraulic lines 21, 22 for supplying pressure fluid to the hydraulic cylinder 20 are suitably coupled to a conventional hydraulic power source (not shown) on the tractor 1. The outer end of a piston rod 23 of the hydraulic cylinder 20 is pivotally connected in any convenient manner to a lever arm 24 rigid with the sleeve 12. It is obvious from an inspection of FIG. 3, that when the piston rod 23 is reciprocated within the cylinder 20 the boom 2 will be rocked about the axis of the bearings 13, 14 since the inner end of the boom is rigid with the rockable sleeves 11, 12. In this regard, the inner end 25 of the boom 2 is rigidly secured to spaced, wedge shaped, block members 26, 27 which are formed rigid or integral with the sleeves 11, 12, respectively. The drive shaft 17 extends through aligned bores in the block members 26, 27. The drive sprocket 7 on the drive shaft 17 is disposed within the space between the block members 26, 27 and the inner end 25 of the boom 2.

The intermediate sprockets 8, 9 are keyed respectively to auger shafts 32 and 33, which in turn are journalled respectively in bearing brackets 30 and 31. Bracket 30 is suitably clamped to the top side of the boom 2, and the bracket 31 is suitably clamped to the bottom side thereof. Shafts 32 and 33 carry auger blades 34 and 35 on their respective outer ends. Bearing brackets 30 and 31 are reversible so that the auger blades and their shafts may be mounted to project from either the right or left side of boom 2. Thus, when the pair of auger blades 34, 35

. are disposed on the left-hand side of the boom, as shown engage the earth raised by the digger chain and convey the same laterally to the left side of the ditch being formed.

A thrust shoe 36 is adapted to be adjustably positioned selectively on either side of the digger boom 2 to counteract the lateral thrust set up in the boom by the driven auger blades 34, 35 when they are moving earth to one side of the trench being formed. For example vvhen the auger blades 34, 35 are positioned on the left side of the digger boom 2, as viewed in FIG. 3, the thrust shoe 36 is adjustably positioned on the right side of the boom so that when the boom is lowered into trench digging position the outer face of the thrust shoe 36 will slidably engage the right side wall of the trench being formed by the endless digger teeth, whereby the wall of the trench will absorb the lateral thrust forces set up in the boom by the augers 34, 35.

The thrust shoe 36 includes a pair of apertured supporting legs 37, 38 which are adjustably mounted in spaced, apertured bracket plates 39, 40, 41 and 42, welded to opposite faces of the boom 2 between the outer end of the boom and the auger shaft supporting bracket 39. The spaced bracket plates'39, 40, 41 and 42 are similar and the manner of detachab ly and adjustably connecting the apertured legs 37, 38 of the thrust shoe 36 to the bracket plates is the same for each leg 37, 38. Therefore, it will suffice if reference is made solely to the connection between the leg 38 and the pair of bracket plates 41, 42. Collars 43 are mounted on the outer face of each bracket plate 41 and 42. Each collar is drilled and threaded to receive a set screw, and the set screws extend into selected ones of a plurality of cross-bores 48 spaced along the leg 38 to thereby laterally and adjustably position the thrust shoe with respect to the boom. The lateral positioning of shoe 36 is, of course, dependent on the width of the trench being dug.

A laterally adjustable dirt deflector 49 is mounted on the trailing end of the tractor 1 at the side thereof opposite the mounting of the driven auger blades 35, 36. With reference to FIG. the dirt deflector 49 shown therein is of the type designed to be mounted at the right rear side of the tractor 1 (the far side as viewed in FIG. 1). It is of course understood that a second dirt deflector will be provided which is a mirror image, of that shown in FIG. 5 and when it is desired to pile the dirt on the opposite side of the trench, it will be mounted on the left rear side of the tractor 1 to cooperate with the auger blades 35, 34 when they are disposed on the right side of the boom 2. However, since these dirt deflectors 49 are mirror images of each other and since their mounting on the tractor 1 is identical, a description of one only is deemed necessary.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, dirt deflector 49 includes a fore and aft elongated heavy rigid plate 50 which is mounted for pivotal movement on one end of an annularly grooved outwardly extending transverse shaft 51. A side thrust absorbing brace bar 52 has one end rigidly secured at 53 near the aft end of plate 50, and its other end secured to the outer end of shaft 51, thus providing a rigid triangular structure.

Pivotally mounted on shaft 51 between the brace bar and plate 50 is a bell crank lever, one arm 54 of which is in the form of a U-shaped frame, and the other arm of which is an integral depending rigid bar 55. At the lower end of bar 55 is a pin 56, and a similar pin 57 is anchored to plate 50. A tensioned spring 58 has its opposite ends secured to the two pins 56 and 57.

The above described dirt deflector assembly is mounted at the trailing end of the tractor, as shown in FIG. 4. Shaft 51 is rotatably received in a laterally disposed seat in the end of a rigid bracket 59, one of which is rigidly secured to the lower edge of each of the plates and 16. Vertically aligned holes are provided in the aft end of bracket 59 to receive a lock pin 60. The shaft 51 is manually adjusted laterally, depending on the width of the trench to be dug, so that one of the spaced encircling grooves 47 on shaft 51 aligns with the lock pin holes. Thus, when the lock pin 60 is pushed into the holes in bracket 59, a portion of the pin also seats in the selected aligned groove in the shaft. Lateral movement of the shaft and of the entire dirt deflecting assembly is thus prevented.

With the dirt deflecting assembly mounted as described, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 it Will be seen that the aft end of crank lever arm 54 is in contact with the lower edge of plate 16, and is thereby prevented from rotating clockwise about shaft 51. This prevention of movement of arm 54 thus maintains a tension on spring 58, which in turn continuously urges the aft lower edge of plate 50 into firm slidable contact with the ground alongside a trench being dug. However, the plate 50 may be pivoted clockwise (FIG. 4) about shaft 51 with the boom 2, when both are moved into ground transport position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

When the digging assembly is in the position shown in FIG. 1 and is performing its trench digging function, the digging blades on the lower run of chain 3 lift the loosened dirt from the trench and dump it on the uncut ground ahead of the trencher chain, between the forward portion of deflector plate 50 and the adjacent pick up end of auger blade 35. The forward portion of plate 50 prevents the discharged dirt from moving toward the right hand side of the trench, and deflects the dirt toward auger blade 50. Since the loosened dirt cannot fall back into the trench because it is continually being pushed upward and forward by the digger chain blades, it is confined by the digger chain blades and by the deflector plate 50, and can only move forward and sidewise toward the auger blade 35. The auger blade in turn moves the loosened dirt to the left hand side of the trench only. Any loose dirt dropped by auger blade 35 is picked up and moved to the left by the other auger 34.

To move the deflector plate into transport position, chain 66 is hooked at one end to a member 68 extending laterally outwardly of the digger boom 2. The other end of the chain 66 is suitably connected to an eye bolt or the like 70 secured to the plate 50. It will be apparent that when the boom 2 is raised to transport position by proper actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 20, the chain 66 will cause the plate 50 to be simultaneously pivoted upwardly about shaft 51 as an axis to an elevated position above the ground, as shown in FIG. 2. Of course, when piling dirt on the other side of the trench, a left-hand type dirt deflector (previously described but not shown) will be mounted on the side plate 15 in a manner identical with that described for mounting the right-hand type dirt deflector 49 on the side plate 16. In this regard a projecting member 71, similar to the member 68, extends outwardly to the left of the boom 2, as seen in FIG. 3.

From the above description is will be seen that my invention comprises primarily the combination of a dirt deflecting plate mounted to one side of a trencher boom and digger chain assembly, and serving to deflect dirt removed from the trench toward a cooperating auger which is mounted on the opposite side of the boom and digger assembly, and which picks up the deflected dirt and conveys it further in the same direction to pile the dirt in a single ridge along one side only of the trench, leaving the other side of the trench clear for workmen, and also making it much easier to fill the trench.

The embodiment of the invention described and illustrated herein includes two side delivery augers, but only one auger is essential to the practical use of the invention.

An additional feature of the invention, while not essential, is a thrust shoe projecting laterally from that side of the boom opposite the auger, to contact one side wall of the trench being dug to thus absorb the side thrust produced by the side delivery auger, and to aid in the digging of a linear trench by keeping the boom and digger chain assemblies centered laterally in the trench being dug.

The anger or augers may be mounted to project from either side of the trencher boom to thus pile dirt along a selected side of the trench. Since the auger is made to convey dirt laterally away from the boom, the dirt deflector and the thrust shoe are always mounted on that side of the boom opposite the side from which the auger shaft projects.

Having described and illustrated the invention With sufficient clarity to enable those familiar with this art to construct and use it, I claim:

1. A trench digging machine comprising:

a digger boom;

an endless digger chain entrained about the ends of the digger boom;

drive means operatively connected to drive the digger chain;

auger means mounted on the digger boom in a position intermediate the ends thereof and extending laterally at ground level to one side of the boom when the boom is in digging position, said auger means being adapted to convey dirt excavated by the digger chain from the trench to said'one side thereof at ground level;

means drivingly interconnecting the digger chain and the auger means for rotating the latter in a direction to move dirt away from the trench;

and a dirt deflecting plate fixed on the machine substantially at ground level on the side thereof opposite that from which the auger means is extended, and disposed in a plane substantially normal to the axis of rotation of said auger means, said dirt deflecting plate including a forward portion disposed in advance of said auger and adjacent to the path of advance of said digger chain whereby said forward portion directs dirt dug by the digger chain toward a position in the path of advance of said auger means and in advance thereof.

2. A trench digging machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein a trailing portion of said deflector plate extends rearwardly of said boom at ground level adjacent to the edge of the trench and is effective to prevent spillover dirt dislodged by said machine on the outboard side of said deflector plate from entering the open ditch.

3. A self-propelled trench digging machine as set forth in claim 1 in which the dirt deflecting plate is carried by the machine on a transverse pivot axis disposed near the upper forward corner of said forward portion thereof; and means interconnecting the swingable digger boom and the trailing portion of said pivotally mounted dirt deflecting plate whereby swinging of the digger boom to a raised transport position will simultaneously raise the dirt deflecting plate to a position clear of engagement with the ground.

4. The machine described in claim 3, and means on said pivot axis affording selected positioning of said heavy rigid plate to vary its transverse distance from said path of advance of said digger chain.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,194,375 8/16 French. 2,842,873 7/58 George 3786 3,057,089 10/62 Kiechel 37-90 3,130,506 4/64 Laster 37-86 FOREIGN PATENTS 126,053 1960 Russia.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TRENCH DIGGING MACHINE COMPRISING: A DIGGER BOOM; AN ANDLESS DIGGER CHAIN ENTRAINED ABOUT THE ENDS OF THE DIGGER BOOM; DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO DRIVE THE DIGGER CHAIN; AUGER MEANS MOUNTED ON THE DIGGER BOOM IN A POSITION INTEREDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF AND EXTENDING LATERALLY AT GROUND LEVEL TO ONE SIDE OF THE BOOM WHEN THE BOOM IS IN DIGGING POSITION, SAID AUGER MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO CONVEY DIRT EXCAVATED BY THE DIGGER CHAIN FROM THE TRENCH TO SAID ONE SIDE THEREOF AT GROUND LEVEL; MEANS DRIVINGLY INTERCONNECTING THE DIGGER CHAIN AND THE AUGER MEANS FOR ROTATING THE LATTER IN A DIRECTION TO MOVE DIRT AWAY FROM THE TRENCH; 